Bella's Ultimatum

Edward originally challenged Bella refusing to transform her, or make love to her, unless she married him. Bella comes to terms with this, and accepts, but offers Edward an ultimatum of her own, as she is unable to imagine a life without Charlie. Set Post- Eclipse. B/E.

I don't own any of the characters- unfortunately. They all belong to Stephenie Meyer but if you let me play with them then I promise I will put them all back where they belong……

Chapter 1

"They always say that the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest and for the past year I had held that fruit in the palm of my hand unable to take a bite out of it."

I tore my eyes away from the page as I felt waves of frustration coursing through my body.

Where was he?

He had been gone over four hours, and although that wasn't an exceptionally long period of time, a minute away from him had always seemed like an eternity.

I couldn't study.

I couldn't read.

I simply couldn't focus.

To me, Edward was a gentleman. He was my Prince Charming, perfection incarnated on skin and bones and soul. To me, Edward had a soul.

During the few hours a week that he religiously took to hunt, to satiate the intense burning sensation that I provoked in his throat, I would become completely unsettled. I couldn't come to terms with the fact that during those hours, Edward became an animal.

Although I knew that Edward was always a raging animal beneath the controlled composure he always fought to keep, the fact that he was out in the forest murdering, feeding…..

My thoughts spun off with images of blood and carcasses.

"Get a grip," I whispered to myself.

I set out to do laundry, entertaining myself by putting a load of whites into the washer and taking a load of colors out. The soft and clean smell of fresh, clean laundry enveloped me as I began folding the clothes by front window.

And then I heard it. It was a sound that was only provoked by fast, flashy sports cars seen on TV. I dropped everything I was doing and ran toward the foyer of my home. Naturally by the time I got to the front door he was already standing on the porch.

"Where were you?" I demanded before even giving him a chance to speak.

I slowly felt waves of relaxation washing over my body. It was always the same. When he went on hunting trips I made myself ill with images of his bestiality, a side of him that I could only imagine. And although I racked my brain full of negativity during that time, the minute I saw him again, the minute I caught a glance of those topaz eyes I was as good as gone.

When I was with Edward Cullen I had no doubts.

When I was with Edward Cullen I had no fears.

When I was with Edward Cullen I DID HAVE billions of butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

Edward seemed completely unfazed by the harsh greeting I received him with.

"The waiter took a while to bring the bill."

His infamous half smile and sarcasm made me forget absolutely every thought. I was dazzled, as per usual. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around me in an uncharacteristically tight hug. The intimate embrace sent electrical currents running through my body.

"I missed you," I murmured into the crook of his neck.

He pushed us both through the threshold of the house without breaking the embrace and with a swift kick, shut the front door behind us.

He slowly began to kiss me lightly on the apple of my cheeks and I felt the goose bumps rise on my arms.

"Charlie…." I stammered, remembering that my father had stepped out of the house about twenty minutes ago.

"Charlie won't be back for another hour," Edward said, pulling away.

His eyes silently asked for permission to continue.

I sighed. I would give in. I knew I would give in, and he knew I would give in.

They always say that the forbidden fruit tastes the sweetest and for the past year I had held that fruit in the palm of my hand unable to take a bite out of it.

I leaned back carefully watching his face and vacillating between my options.

Option 1. We could go upstairs, I could get turned on only to be left alone while Edward ran back into the depths of the forest. A few seconds of pleasure, followed by hours of both of us critically analyzing the mistake we had made.

Option 2. We could sit and turn on the TV, pretending to watch it as we tried to wave away the desire that constantly burned in our bodies. We'd grow frustrated at the situation, and at one another.

"Sometimes I trick myself into believing I know what you are thinking," he broke the silence with a smirk referring to my inexplicable status as a mental mute.

"Oh yeah? How is that?" I challenged him, spiking my voice with what I believed were flirtatious undertones.

"Because you want to go upstairs with me, you want to go really badly BUT," he emphasized the but in an exaggerated manner, "we both know how it will end, we know what will happen, or rather what won't happen."

His voice trailed off as he finished the sentence demonstrating his shyness on such subjects. Unlike other boys, Edward seemed as uncomfortable as someone awaiting a root canal in a dentist's office when the conversation turned towards desire. His awkwardness made me laugh, at times like these it was clear that he was from another time.

I took in a deep breath. They called it animal instinct for a reason didn't they?

Without a conclusion to our pending conversation, I began up the stairs. Halfway up I looked down and glanced at him invitingly. He had that half smile plastered on his face.

I swung the door to my room open and made my way to the bed.

Before I knew it, he was on my bed, hovering over me and staring me down with those topaz eyes. Our lips moved towards each other, like magnets and when they met it was like we couldn't pull them apart.

Although the kisses were nothing if not chaste, I couldn't help but feel a tingling sensation rolling through my body. Without even thinking about it, I nibbled on his bottom lip.

He pulled away causing me to stop dead in my tracks. I had done something wrong, I was sure.

"Did you just bite me?" His expression was neutral and I was having difficulty reading him.

I felt the blush crawl up to my cheeks and looked away, completely embarrassed.

I was ready to crawl out from under him when he pulled me closer and our lips reconnected. I felt his ice cold hand on my hip.

It was funny because warmth is universally associated with romance, but for me, ice cold is the temperature I associate with love.

His hand ran further up the length of my torso under the cotton shirt I was wearing. He seemed to be frustrated by the thin material separating him from me because with a swift movement, he pulled it off of me.

Left in my bra, I rubbed against him, enjoying every bit of pleasure the sensation was provoking. I felt hypnotized and I wanted the moment to last forever.

I felt myself getting carried away. I snuck a hand onto his hip, and slowly pushed my fingers under the waistband of his pants.

And then he pulled away, but for once I didn't really care.

"I'm sorry I won't do it again," I apologized without sincerity and I pulled him closer in, forcibly kissing him.

Between my forced kisses he whispered "Charlie".

That was all I needed to hear.

I pushed him off of me and scanned the floor for my shirt which had gone missing. By the time I pulled the cotton v-neck over my head he was long gone. My window was wide open and a bright yellow post it was affixed onto it. His familiar elegant scrawl brought a smile to my face.

Back tonight. Forever Love…..

I marveled at the fact that four words could provoke such intense emotions in me and then the sound of my front door snapped me out of my reverie.

"Bella? Bells?"

The familiar voice caused a sense of warmth to spread through my body, and with that, I ran down the stairs to greet my father.